1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to high-speed data processing. More specifically, the present invention pertains to the use of spatially-defined holographic matched filters for processing temporal-domain data.
2. Background of the Related Art
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art technique of generating holograms. A given temporal-domain optical-pulse data pattern 10 and the optical reference pulse 12 are both dispersed by a diffraction grating 14 located at the input focal plane of a lens 16. The two optical beams carrying these pulses then interact with a permanent recording medium 18 located at the spectrum plane of the lens 16. Such holograms may be used as matched filter to store optical data patterns for subsequent comparison with an incident optical signal to generate an optical correlation signal.
In applying matched filters to signal processing in the time domain, the generation of ultrafast signals, that is, signals having bit rates in the Gigabit to Terabit ranges, require the use of ultrafast optical sources, such as CPM dye lasers and other ultrafast coherent optical sources capable of generating pulses in the femtosecond ranges.